Wrench holder



July 8, 1958 c; s. TARQUINIO 2,842,020

WRENCH HOLDER Filed March 5, 1955 in! f H HUI" ll. "7

\\\\Ill my CARL s. TARQU/N/O, m INVENTOR.

ATTORNEK WRENCH HOLDER Carl S. Tarquinio, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application March 3, 1955, Serial No. 491,961

4 Claims. (Cl. 81177) This invention relates to wrench holders and more particularly to a holder for mounting wrenches used with the so-called Allen screws. i

Screws of the Allen type are used today in ever increasing numbers and are generally driven or loosened by an L-shaped bar having a hexagonal cross-sectional configuration and now termed an Allen wrench. Where relative light-torque loads are encountered in the turning of such screws, the L-shaped wrench is usually sufficient. However, where high-torque forces are required, it is necessary to use additional wrenches or tools to turn the wrench engaged with the screw. In many instances the screw to be worked upon is so located that it is impossible because of lack of space to employ anadditional tool to drive the L-shaped wrench engaged in the socket of the screw. In fact, in some installations it is extremely difficult for the workman to even reach the screw ventional L-shaped.,Allen wrench.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a tool or holderfor mounting a conventional Allen wrench and which is used to apply torque forces through the wrench to the screw engaged bythe latter. The holder in addition forms an extension for the conventional wrench so that the same can be used with screws noteasily accessible with the L-shaped wrench alone.

The holder in both embodiments herein disclosed replaceably mounts a conventional Allen .wrench and holds the same securely against rotation relative to the holder as the latter is rotated to perform the desired operation on the screw. The Allen Wrench is quickly mounted to the holder of the present invention by means requiring no additional tools. The means used'to mount the Allen wrench actually lock the same in position on the holder so that the Allen wrench mounted to the holder is handled and used as a unitary t-ool.

j Other features and advantages of the present invention will be hereinafter apparent from the following description, particularly when taken in conection with the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is an elevation of one embodiment of the holder of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the embodiment of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a section taken along line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary, longitudinal section-a1 view on an enlarged scale of the collect used to mount the tool;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 but showing a modified form; and

Figure 7 is an end view of the holder shown in Figure 6.

The wrench holder of the present invention and particularly the embodiment shown in Figures 1 through 5 of the drawing, comprises a body member 10 and a handle element 11, here shown as an elongate cylindrical rod, force-fitted or driven into a cylindrical bore 12 transversely formed at one end of the body member 10. The opposite end of the body member 10 is provided with an withthecontrated embodiment of the present invention now being described, three eircumferentially spaced jaws 14, each having a tapered or conical outer surface 15, and a jaw actuator in the form ofa knurled sleeve 16. The jaws are formed by three longitudinally extending slots 17, as best seen in Figure 4, two upper slots having a common chordal axis, and a lower slot extending radially of a central bore 18 longitudinally extending inwardly from the one end of the body member 10. The material of the body member is somewhat resilient and the slots 17 are of a length to permit limited flexing movement of the jaws 14.

The jaws are flexed or actuated by the sleeve 16 which is internally threaded, as indicated at 19, for threaded engagement with external threads 21 formed on a cylindrical boss 22 formed as a part of the body member 10. The sleeve 16 is provided with a conical inner surface 23 which is adapted through engagement with the conical surfaces 15 of the jaws 14,215 the sleeve is retracted or moved axially of the jaws in a leftward direction as viewed in Figure 5, to force or cam the jaws inwardly. It is to be understood that this movement is brought about by rotation of the sleeve 16. It will be seen that axial movement of the sleeve to the left,as viewedin Figure 5. will bring about inward or clamping movement of the jaws 14 while movement of the sleeve in the opposite direction will permit the jaws to return to their normal member and this slot forms in eifect as best seen in Fig? ure 2 of the drawinga continuation of the bore 18. The

slot 24 is of a length suficient to permit sidewise insertion of the longer staff of an L-shaped or Allen wrench 25 of the largest size to be accommodated with a particular tool of the present invention. In the use: of the tool, once the longer staff of the wrench is positioned in the slot 24, the wrench is bodily moved longitudinally of the body member to dispose the free end portion of the wrench within the bore 18, t after which the wrench is moved through the bore toposition the shorter staff of the wrench in the position shown in Figure 2 of the drawing.

With the wrench in the position shown in Figure 2, the

sleeve 16 will -be rotated inthe direction necessary to bring about movement of the same to the left, which, as.

above explained, cams or compresses the jaws 14 inward ly andinto good compressive engagement with the longer staff of the wrench 25. -With the wrench engaged by the jaws 14, the latter is held in a position in which the longi f tudinal-axis oft'l'i'e wrench isc-oinci'dent with the longitudinal axis of the body member 16 Although the jaws 14 are formed in part by the bore 18, the work-engaging faces of these jaws, as clearly shown in Figure 4, will move into good holding engagement with the fiats of the wrench 25 and thu hold the wrench tightly against rotation as a torque force is applied to the body member 10 through the handle 11.

The wrench holder of the present invention not only securely mounts and holds the Allen wrench, but it will be noted that it also forms an extension for the wrench and permits the wrench to be used in many applications where the screw to be worked upon could not otherwise be reached by the wrench alone.

In the now preferred form of the holder shown in Figures 1 through 5 of the drawing, the slots 17 are formed inwardly beyond the cylindrical boss 22 to a point adjacent a shoulder 26 formed 'by a reduced section 27 of the body member 10. This structure increases the amount of flexure of the jaws 1 4, as will be understood, and permits the use of diilerent sized Allen wrenches with a single holder. This is so, for the amount of flex- Patented July s, 1958.

ure provided in the jaws 14, because of the length of the slots 17 and the reduced section 27, is suflicient to accommodate varying-sized wrenches. It has been found that through the use of the structure above described, three different sizes of Allen wrenches can be effectively mounted by one particular-sized holder of the present invention.

. It is a relatively simple matter to remove an Allen wrench from the holder and this is done by backing off the sleeve 16 to permit the jaws 14 to move outwardly a distance sufficient to release the engaged wrench after which the wrench is move-d bodily into the slot 24 a distance suflicient to clear the boss 22 after which the wrench can 'be moved radially from the holder.

In the embodiment of the holder shown in Figures 6 and 7, the wrench holding jaws are not formed integral with the body member, but are formed as a part of a removable collet 31. The body member 32, in this form of the holder, differs from the previously described body member only in that the end opposite the handle is not slotted and terminates in an unbroken threaded boss or collar 33. This collar is formed with a cylindrical bore 34 for receiving the mounting shank 35 of the collet 31. The collet 31 is conventional in structure and includes a plurality of spaced jaws 36 defined by chordally and radially extending slots 37. Here again the jaw actuator consists of an internally threaded sleeve or hood 38 'threadedly mounted to the boss or collar 33. The sleeve is substantially identical to the sleeve 16 and is provided with an internal jaw-actuating surface 39 adapted to engage and cam inwardly the jaws 36 of the collet as the sleeve is moved to the left, as viewed in Figure 6.

The holder of the form shown in Figures 6 and 7 of the drawing is intended to be used with a number of collets of different sizes, but each having a mounting shank 35 of the same outer diameter for reception in the bore 34. The sleeve 38 also serves, as will be seen, to hold the shank of the collet properly seated in the bore 34 as in conventional practice. The collets to be used with the holder now being described would permit mounting of a large range of wrench sizes with a single holder as a collet for each wrench size would be provided.

It will now be seen that both embodiments of the wrench holder provide a very convenient means for mounting an Allen wrench and one that can be used to apply greater torque loads to the screw than is possible where the wrench is used alone. Where large-torque forces are necessary tubular elements can be slipped over the opposite ends of the handle 11 to increase the lever arm provided by the handle and consequently the torque 4 the holder is very securely held against rotational movement relative to the wrench, but yet the means used to hold the wrench are not complicated and can be actuated without the use of additional tools.

Although the now preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described herein, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited thereto, for it is susceptible to changes in form and detail within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A tool holder to engage and increase the effective length of an L-shaped Allen-type wrench having a relatively long longitudinal shank and a shorter lateral shank, comprising: an elongated body to serve as a longitudinal extension for said longitudinal shank of the wrench; a plurality of jaws on one end of said body forming a passage on the axis of the body to receive said longitudinal shank; and means including a circumferentially continuous sleeve to tighten said jaws into engagement with said shank, said body having a longitudinal groove opening on the side of the body, said groove being in communication with and aligned with said jaw passage, said groove being wider than said longitudinal shank, the length of said groove being at least approximately the length of the longitudinal shank to serve as an entrance for the longitudinal shank into said jaw passage for engagement of the longitudinal shank by said jaws at a position of the longitudinal shank in which said lateral shank extends out of the groove adjacent the inner end of the jaw passage.

2. A tool holder as set forth in claim 1, in which said 'body is a onepiece member, and said sleeve is in threaded engagement therewith.

3. A tool holder as set forth in claim 2, in which said plurality of jaws comprises a removable jaw assembly releasably secured to said body by said sleeve, whereby the sleeve may be unscrewed from the body to permitreplacernent of a jaw assembly for one size of wrench by a jaw assembly for another size of wrench.

4. A tool holder as set forth in claim 2, in which said jaws are integral with said body and are connected thereto by resilient arms, at least some of said arms being portions of the wall of said groove.

Germany Nov. 27, 1952 

